Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 5:23 pm  |  134 responses

Report: Grizzlies To Waive Iverson

by Ryne Nelson

Not to be condescending, but maybe some rationality should have been used from the beginning. The Memphis Commercial Appeal (or its quick-hitting Tweet machine) is reporting that Allen Iverson and Grizzlies will officially part ways (H/T Jeff):

Griz and Iverson agree to end contract. Iverson will be waived, sources tell The Commercial Appeal.

Where Iverson goes from here is anyone’s guess. We could argue for hours about where he should go, but it’s clear AI wants to start and play for a winning team. More specifically, he wants a chance at a ring… this season. Would a contender give Iverson the major burn he’s looking for?

I think the conversation starts and stops there.

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  • http://slamonline.com Dave

    Phone conversation, September this year.
    Grizz: Come on down, Allen. It’s gonna be great.
    AI: Yeah, can’t wait. After that bench bulls##t last season and the coach not telling me the truth. Don’t even know why they brought me in. Me, The Answer, coming off the bench? A franchise player?
    Grizz:…
    Allen: Know what I’m sayin’? With me startin’ and those young guys comin’ off the bench, we’re gonna push into the play-offs, I can feel it.
    Grizz:… *cough*mumble*
    AI: We’re talkin’ ’bout startin’, right?
    Grizz: Come on down, Allen. It’s gonna be great.

  • http://slamonline.com Dave

    Can’t tell me that conversation didn’t have to happen at some point.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Wayno

    Isiah Thomas > Iverson all day, every day. Thomas could score nearly as well as AI but CHOSE to be a PG. Also he took WAY more of a beating than AI ever did. He survived Karl Malone’s elbows for goodness sakes. Isiah Thomas pound for pound the toughest and he was just staight up better than AI. If AI decided to give up his selfishness sacrifice his stats and run the point there would be a debate here.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com Hursty

    @J-RO – No. Darryl Morey would treat him like a dude with the Black Plague.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Uhhh no Wayno, Isiah Thomas could not score as well as Allen Iverson. And no, he couldn’t have played shooting guard as well as Iverson has. Just as Iverson can’t play point guard as well as he did.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    AI you just gotta say the words… just gotta say : I am cool with coming off the bench. LA, Boston, Cleveland, San An, ATL, MIA, EVERYBODY would be gunning for you for the prorated vet min.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Part of me just can’t believe that AI is going out like that. Waived by the freaking Grizz. Can’t be right.

  • http://www.twitter.com/JoshElam JE

    he’s going to new york. might not be so bad.

  • BIRDMAN JR

    I still don’t understand what the grizz see in conley. He’s a back-up point at best. How can a so-called up and coming point guard’s team be struggling to score with the likes of rudy and oj on each wing and z-bo and the not so little gasol on the block. The grizz should’ve let AI start because they are not going to the playoffs in the first place. All those idiots that are saying his overrated are clowns. Give u guys a nerf ball and 9 foot rims and yall cant do half of what he achieved in his careers. It amazes me when people talk sh** and haven’t done sh**. What have u done in ur existence to talk bad about some whose being play at a very high level professionally for 15 yrs huh. Riddle me that.

  • http://www.nba.com/playerfile/sean_marks/index.html Michael NZ

    @Teddy-the-Bear: I hear you on the lineups. But I’m still taking Isiah over AI any day of the week. And I don’t think its all that close either.

  • BBallrehab

    I can understand his frustration: coming off the bench when you know you’re still way better than the starter must be an odd situation…most of all when you’re a 10 times All-Star. The problem is he would act the same way if the the starter was obviously better than him.
    AI should really come to his senses, sign for a top contender accepting to be the 6th man, and try to win that ring he deserves…cause nobody can argue the fact that this guy can still ball.

  • FoCo

    Isiah over AI for sure…and let me hear it for The Logo over both of them. Even Jay-Sean would have to respect the mans stats and Championship Ring (and who knows how many more rings there would have been if not for Bill Russel and company).

    Only places AI could go are the Knicks and Cavs. Knicks because they aren’t going anywhere…what could it hurt? Might even help to just give him the ball and let him chuck. Cavs because Mo Williams is a JOKE. Dude is nothing without Bron.

  • http://www.youtube.com/tripledouble TripleDouble

    Anton’s comment at 6:04pm . . . . GENIUS!!!! Hahahaaaaaaa…

  • http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/ DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS

    IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!IVERSON!!!!!STARBURY!!!!!

  • http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/ DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS

    once again: IVERSON IS ONE OF THE WORST PLAYERS IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME. Of course that doesn’t take away anything from his contribution to the financial prosperity of the league.

  • http://www.youtube.com/tripledouble TripleDouble

    Dimitris has such a tiny d!ck.. Seriously, your an idiot.

  • Renato

    Let me ask all you haters just one question: what’s the difference so far between AI and king james??
    Both of them haven’t got a ring and have only a trip to the finals, both have Roy and Mvp….

    So if in five years the king hasn’t got a ring and is a FA would u sign him to make him come off the bench on an horrible team? U gotta be kiddin’!!!
    Memphis management hasn’t been clear on him and these are the kind of things A.I. don’t tolerate!
    The guy is no way worse than, for say, kevin martin, and he gets over-hyped in SAC-Town!!!

    Anyone who sign him at this point will have a 25 pts starter for nickles & dimes!!!

    I bet the knicks , charlotte or even OKC should really try for him!! Go Answer, prove’em wrong!!

  • karan

    iverson shouldlve become a knick already

  • http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/ DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS

    @TripleDouble….: your …. always had a much different opinion but i cannot be too … with my kids(??who knows…).

  • FoCo

    I suppose I qualify as a “hater”…though I’d like to think of it more as realism.
    Difference between Bron and AI? Besides Lebron being an actual GOOD teammate and hard worker? You could take Bron’s overall career PER of 26.3 and compare it to Iverson’s 21.1 (or his career best of 25.9 which is less than Bron’s avg and keep in mind he hasn’t been lower than 29.1 in the last 3 years)
    For comparison KevMart rolls with a career 20.26 (not counting his first season where he only played 455 min) and he’s banking 26.2 in this young season.
    Mind you this is just one statistic but you show me someone who thinks AI is as good as Lebron and I’ll show you an idiot. Lebron has a chance to go down as on of the top 2 or 3 to ever play the game.

  • http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/ DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS

    K.MARTIN>>>>>>>>>>>>>IVERSON.

  • Renato

    @FoCo : People were saying the same stuff about Iverson (that he’d become one of the best to ever play). Bron only excels just like A.I. when he has an entire team playing for him. For god sake we had to basically resuscitate the point foward position for him: he hasn’t won anything yet apart for the same prizes A.I. also took home !!!

    And by the way the Lakers A.I. faced in his finals were way stronger than the spurs who swept Bron !

    Just another note: if Martin is that good how come that with him out the kings are 4-0??? Just for saying ..

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    Could we get the first(?) player to not be on any team currently, starting in Dallas for ASW? He should come an play in Australia though, he’ll get to play the whole game EVERY game…

  • http://fdjksl.com Jukai

    Renato: Iverson, in his 13-year basketball career, has 71 playoff games under his belt.
    Lebron James, in seven seasons, has 60 playoff games.
    So, you know, depends how you judge success I guess.

  • http://slamonline.com/ Spaceship Jay

    Goodnight.

  • NUPE

    I doubt AI is done. Waiving him let’s him get signed with somebody now. I believe AI was told he would start in Detroit and coach lied to him (Rip backed this story up). Coming to Memphis AI said he would come of the bench if he had a chance to compete for a starting role and got beat-out. It’s clear that AI is better than Conley and should have been starting. However, AI’s hamstring hampered him from competing for the role. I think AI should have waited before ‘leaving for personal reasons’ because as bad as the team is and with Conley starting over him, it was likely a matter of time before he would have started. I can see AI with the Cavs taking Delonte’s spot and starting with Mo. I can also see him getting some significant time as the pg of the second squad playing with AP, Andy, big Z etc. AI’s stock is certainly down, but I wouldn’t call him out yet.

  • Buschfire

    Maybe he’ll start rapping again…. haha

  • peter

    All I wanna know is, how did he go from scoring 27 a game in Denver to being out of the league in 1 season…is there any precedence of this for a player of his caliber in NBA history? Not making excuses for his attitude, but still, its pretty astounding…

  • http://www.slamonline.com Wayno

    Peter, no it isn’t…the dude straight up lied to the Memphis organization and fans, faked an injury to get out of finishing last season on the bench, and has had a TERRIBLE attitude for the majority of his career. His talent is undeniable, but his unwillingness to adapt and play for a team that doesn’t revolve around him is what is really astounding.

  • peter

    Wayno, regardless of his attitude is there any precedence of such a rapid blackballing of a player who still has so much left in the tank physically??? There are countless examples of athletes with terrible attitudes getting second chances time and time again…

  • tavoris

    wayno…so now he LIED to the Grizz too? His disdain for coming off the bench has been WELL DOCUMENTED, and I don’t remember him EVER wavering from that. He did say that he would come off the bench if he could COMPETE for at starting spot. However, Hollins made it clear from the jump that it wasn’t gonna happen, regardless of how sucky Conley is playing. So, where’s your evidence of him lying to the Grizz?

  • JD

    Would a contender give Iverson the major burn he’s looking for?
    No.Never.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Wayno

    So saying he’ll do whatever for the team blah blah blah, then quitting on them isn’t lying now? Wow Tavoris, why don’t you wait for the smoke to clear outta your moms basement before you say silly stuff like that.

  • tavoris

    wayno. evidence plz. feel free 2 add @ gmail.com to my s/n with a web link or 2.

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